FreeRTOS on Raspberry PI PICO

Unlock the power of concurrent programming with this comprehensive course on the FreeRTOS Kernel for the Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico W! Updated for Pico SDK 2.1.1 and FreeRTOS Kernel V11.2.0 (March 2025), this course provides a practical introduction to real-time operating systems (RTOS) and multi-processing on the Raspberry Pi Pico.

What you'll learn:

• FreeRTOS Fundamentals: Master the core concepts of the FreeRTOS Kernel, enabling you to build more sophisticated embedded systems.
• Concurrent Tasks: Learn to create and manage multiple tasks running concurrently on a single core, maximizing the Pico's processing power.
• Semaphores: Understand and implement semaphores for safe communication and resource protection between tasks.
• Queues: Effectively utilize queues for decoupling tasks and managing data flow in your applications.
• Message Buffers: Implement variable-length message buffers for flexible data exchange between tasks.
• Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP): Leverage both RP2040 cores for true parallel processing, significantly boosting performance.
• C++ & FreeRTOS Heap: Learn how to effectively use the FreeRTOS heap with C++ in your Pico projects.

Hands-on Projects:

This course features 15 practical projects designed to get you coding quickly. Each project utilizes simple circuits involving LEDs, allowing you to see your code come to life. You'll work with:

• LED Illumination: Control LEDs using various techniques.
• RP2040 Core Utilization: Demonstrate SMP capabilities.

Hardware & Software Requirements:

• Raspberry Pi Pico or Pico W
• Micro USB Cable for power
• Breadboard & Connection Wires
• 12 LEDs (2x Green, 2x Blue, 8x Red recommended)
• 12 x 75 Ohm Resistors
• Desktop/Laptop for code development and flashing
• C++ Knowledge: A basic understanding of C++ is assumed. (Note: Syntax will not be covered.)
• C++ Stack & Heap Understanding: Familiarity with how C++ manages memory.
• Raspberry Pi Pico SDK: Ability to compile and deploy C++ code to the Pico. (Consider my "Introduction to C Development Environment for Raspberry PICO" course for this.)

Versatility & Future-Proofing:

While tailored for the Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico W, the examples are adaptable to any RP2040-based board (minor pinout adjustments may be needed). These projects serve as excellent starting points for your own embedded development endeavors. FreeRTOS Kernel is a crucial foundation for more complex IoT projects and is also compatible with the Pico 2 and RP2350 boards (RP2350 configuration is beyond the scope of this course).

Start your journey into embedded systems development today! This course is perfect for anyone looking to learn FreeRTOS Kernel for the Raspberry Pi Pico, Pico W, or RP2040.